VP-47 Memorial
VP-47 Crew - In Memorium - VP-47 Crew
"Eternal Father Strong To Save"
The Navy Hymn
Sailor Aviators Version
Eternal Father, Strong to Save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its' own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In dark'ning storms or sunlight fair.
O, Hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air.
But when at length our course is run,
Our work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that flew and sailed,
Let not one life in thee be failed,
But hear from heaven our sailors cry,
And grant eternal life on high.
May all our departed shipmates rest in peace.
 Eternal Father by the U.S. Navy Band's Sea Chanters (668 kbytes - WAV file)
"Collision On Final Approach"
Lost Birds Magazine
Discover Aviation Archaeology
JAN/MAR 1998
http://www.lostbirds.com
Lost Birds
Member Magazine Vol. 1 No.1COLLISION
On Final Approach
"Go around, go around...WEAVE!"NAS Moffett Field, California, located 30 miles south of San Francisco, California, was a busy facility in 1973. The air station was the headquarters for all US Navy patrol activity in the Pacific, and in this role it was home to many patrol squadrons flying the Lockheed P-3 Orion. NAS Moffett Field, California was also home to NASA's Ames Research Center, which at the time operated a wide variety of research and experimental aircraft. On April 12, 1973, a Navy P-3C and a Convair 990 operated by NASA collided while on final approach to Moffett field, killing 16 of the 17 people aboard the two aircraft.
The Navy P-3C, bureau number 157332, was assigned to Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47). It had departed NAS Moffett Field, California for a training flight approximately five and a half hours prior to the accident. LT Stephen A. Schwarting was in command of the P-3, along with two pilots in training, a flight engineer, and two observers. LT Schwarting had been a Navy pilot for five years, and at age 29 he had logged 2014 flight hours, 1014 of those in P-3 aircraft.
During the first part of the training flight, the P-3 operated over the ocean off of Big Sur, California. The P-3 and its crew then returned to NAS Moffett Field, California to practice approaches and landings. At the time of the accident, the P-3 crew had been flying approaches to touch-and-go landings on runway 32L for about an hour and a half, circling in a left-hand pattern west of the air station. There are two parallel runways at NAS Moffett Field, California, 32L and 32R. Only the right runway was equipped for instrument approaches, but on the day of this collision the weather was fair and the visibility was excellent.
While the P-3 was flying approaches on runway 32L, a Convair 990 operated by NASA was south of NAS Moffett Field, California flying a straight in approach. The Convair 990 was a flying laboratory, nicknamed Galileo, which was operated in conjunction with scientific programs at Ames Research Center. The Convair 990, N711NA, was delivered to NASA in 1964 and was one of four 990 models operated by NASA over the years.
On the day of the accident Galileo was returning from a two hour flight over Monterey Bay to test a newly installed system for surveying migratory sea mammals. In past experiments Galileo had chased the 1967 solar eclipse, taken astronomers aloft to study comets, and it had last been used in a joint Soviet-American survey of the Bering Sea. The pilot of Galileo was James P. Riley, age 28. There were a total of eleven men on board Galileo: seven were NASA employees, Northrop, Inc. employed two and Teledyne, Inc employed two.
Galileo's pilot first contacted the NAS Moffett Field, California tower at 1446, stating that he was ten miles south of the air station and requesting a straight-in approach. At that time the air traffic controller instructed Galileos' pilot to approach runway 32R and to contact the tower when he was seven miles south of the air station. There were other aircraft in the pattern at the time, and shortly after his exchange with Galileo, the controller stated to another aircraft that there were numerous P-3's in left traffic for runway 32.
At 1448, the pilot of the P-3 contacted the tower and stated that he was turning base with wheels down, for touch and go. The controller acknowledged that transmission and instructed the pilot to continue for the left side. Seconds later, Galileo's pilot contacted the controller and stated that he was seven miles south of the air station. The controller acknowledged the transmission from Galileo, and after an exchange with another aircraft, the controller instructed the Galileo to continue for the right side..
At 1449, the pilot of Galileo contacted the tower and stated gear down and locked. The controller replied by informing the pilot of the wind speed and direction, and then without explanation he stated that Galileo was cleared to land 32L. The pilot of Galileo did not question the change in runway clearance, but acknowledged it by stating 32L, thank you. A few moments later the air traffic control transcript contains a transmission that is probably from LT Schwartings P-3, stating touch and go on left side. The tower acknowledged this transmission by instructing the P-3 to continue. At this point the two aircraft began to converge on the left runway approach.
At 1450, the air traffic control transcript contains an unidentified transmission that states "Tower you got that" followed by a second, garbled transmission. The controller replied to these two transmissions by saying "go around, go around, weave". The controller then instructioned all aircraft in the pattern to climb and maintain 1500ft. By that time the P-3 and Galileo had collided and crashed together about one half-mile south of the runway.
At the time of the collision Galileo was apparently above the P-3, descending on a converging path. According to the official Navy investigation, the fuselage at the base of the P-3s vertical fin showed evidence of two tire marks that matched the dual nose tires of Galileo. In addition to that, three pieces of the P-3s fuselage frame were found embedded in the nose wheels of Galileo.
Aerial view depicts both aircraft. The Convair 990 tail-section shown here on lower right. Courtesy of NASA via Ian Abbott.
According to eyewitnesses, the P-3 pulled up sharply in the moment before the collision, perhaps in an evasive action. Galileo struck the upper aft fuselage of the P-3 and the two aircraft crashed entangled on the l2th tee of the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course. A large fire immediately engulfed the two wrecked aircraft. Although there were people playing golf nearby, miraculously no one on the ground was hurt.
The crash scene quickly became chaotic. The two aircraft crashed just 200 yards from the Bayshore Freeway, and drivers left their cars to scale the fence and rush to the burning wreckage. Golfers, and people from nearby office buildings who had seen the crash also swarmed around the site. The large number of onlookers made access difficult for the crews responding from NAS Moffett Field, California and Sunnyvale. At the time of the crash a group of firemen were watching a demonstration of a jaws of life rescue device at the Mountain View training center. When they saw the crash they loaded the rescue equipment and went to the scene.
All of the sixteen men who were killed died in the crash or in the fire that followed it. The one survivor was Petty Officer Third Class Bruce N. Mallibert, who was an observer on the P-3. One of the golfers at the crash scene found Mallibert seriously injured and lying unconscious outside of the wreckage, and mistakenly thought that he was dead. He covered Malliberts body with a parachute, but soon after that a fireman checked Mallibert and discovered that he was still alive. Mallibert was lucky to have survived the crash, but he would escape death a second time minutes later. While the parachute covered him a fire truck drove over him, unaware that he was underneath. Miraculously, the trucks wheels missed Mallibert on both sides. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he remained in critical condition for many days.
This crash renewed calls for the Navy to leave NAS Moffett Field, California, and several local members of Congress called for a halt to flying from Moffett in the days following the crash. While there had been a large number of crashes around the air station when it was a home to fighters and attack aircraft in the 1950s, the safety record of the P-3 operations was excellent. This collision was the first and only crash of a P-3 near the airfield between the early 1960s and 1994 when the Navy decommissioned NAS Moffett Field, California.
With the loss of Galileo, NASA lost a unique research asset in addition to losing several of the scientists who had helped to develop the flying laboratory and its experiments. Many of the programs that were to use Galileo were either delayed for years or were cancelled completely following the crash.
This accident apparently occurred because of a simple mistake in air traffic control procedures. Neither of the aircraft suffered mechanical problems, the weather was excellent, and the crew aboard each aircraft was well trained and experienced. Sixteen men and two valuable aircraft were lost, but hopefully future accidents were averted by an increased awareness of the factors that caused this tragedy.
Here rescue workers attempt to put out the hotspots and later retrieve the crash victims. Courtesy of NASA via Ian Abbott
According to eyewitnesses, the P-3 pulled up sharply in the moment before the collision, perhaps in an evasive action. Galileo struck the upper aft fuselage of the P-3 and the two aircraft crashed entangled on the l2th tee of the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course. A large fire immediately engulfed the two wrecked aircraft. Although there were people playing golf nearby, miraculously no one on the ground was hurt.
The crash scene quickly became chaotic. The two, aircraft crashed just 200 yards from the Bayshore Freeway, and drivers left their cars to scale the fence and rush to the burning wreckage. Golfers, and people from nearby office buildings who had seen the crash also swarmed around the site. The large number of onlookers made access difficult for the fire crews responding from NAS Moffett Field, California and Sunnyvale. At the time of the crash a group of firemen were watching a demonstration of a jaws of life rescue device at the Mountain View fIre training center. When they saw the crash they loaded the rescue equipment and went to the scene.
 "...It has been 35 years since VP-47's Mishap (VP-47 - In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973). I still remember what a great bunch of guys were on RD5. I flew with LT Schwarting and crew around the Mariannas out of NAS Agana, Guam. That flight was a really great experience I will never forget. Martin Grupp mgnewlookauto@sbcglobal.net..." [13APR2008]
"...It was my last day in the navy. I was in VP-9, AE2. I had just come back early from the deployment to NAS Iwakuni, Japan to end my enlistment. I walked out of the credit union and the planes crashed into the golf course across the freeway (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973). I could see a golfer with his golf club hitting the thick windows of the P-3 until the heat forced him back. I think that he could see someone inside trying to get out and in the extreme panic and disorientation not pulling the handle on the overhead escape hatch in the cockpit. I have never forgotten this tragic event...Dan DUKES dansoffice@comcast.net..." [28FEB2008]
"...Steve (LT Stephen A. Schwarting) was my roommate and friend during Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy. I have just returned from our 40th reunion and found this when I did a search for Steve. During our memorial service this morning, our chaplain and classmate encouraged us to speak our our classmates' names during a normally silent prayer of remembrance. I said Steve's name and I heard his name from many other classmates in the group. Be assured that Steve has not been forgotten. He was a great guy and we miss him sorely...Peter Smullen pete_smullen@hotmail.com..." [22OCT2007]
"...I was a Corspman on duty the day Petty Officer Third Class Bruce N. Mallibert (VP-47 Observer) arrived at the US Naval hospital, in Oakland (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973). His burns and injuries were so severe, we had no doubt he would only survive a day at the most, if that long. I was the Sr. Corpsman on the ward he ended up at, and I've never seen any patient with so many things busted up or burnt. He was missing 1 inch of his spine....yes, his spine. The top of his skull had been removed to prevent brain swelling problems and his exposed brain was covered with a saline gauze. Both legs had multiple fractures and were in traction. He had 3rd degree burns over 20% of his body. Both arms were burnt and broken, back and neck broken, some internal injuries, and in a coma for more than a month. The initial prognosis for Bruce was not good. "Hour by hour" for the first few days. I would escort his family and fiance to his room each week and got to know them pretty well. They came up from Sunnyvale. (We honestly thought he would never recover and would die while in the coma). Then came the day I was told he was coming out of his coma, goin in and out of consciousness. His family was in the room. This is a little eerie, but I went into his room and began talking to his family, and Bruce had his eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping. Out of no where, the first thing he said was "Larry is that you?" I'll never forget that or forget Bruce. A few years later, when I was in the reserves, I heard he was transferred to a VA hospital in So. Ca. and was actually re-learning how to walk. I couldn't believe it, especially with his spinal injury. God Bless the men who lost their lives. Bruce, if you ever read this, please contact me...Larry Taylor lt52@msn.com..." [03SEP2006]
"...My Father, Jim Remington, was one of the crew members on board the NASA Convair 990 (SEE: Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973) who died that day. I've spent quite a bit of time over the past few years on the net trying to gather information and just try to make sense of what happened, I was about 2 and a half when it happened. I was very pleased to find this tribute to all of the men who lost their lives in that accident, and I wanted to say thank you...Jay Remington gordocoop@comcast.net..." [09APR2006]
"...I was a member of VP-47 from 1971 to 1974 and I actually flew back to NAS Moffett Field, California from NAS Adak, Alaska the night before that crash on 12 April 1973 (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973) on the same plane that crashed. When we landed on the tarmack we were greated by a great guy named Bruce Mallibert. Bruce was actually standing watch at the time. At the time, our squadron was split between NAS Moffett Field, California, NAS Adak, Alaska, and NAS Agana, Guam. My friend Mike Gleaves and I were pretty excited when we were told we could come home for a couple of weeks from NAS Adak, Alaska, as anyone would be, and I remember when we were landing that night the pilot played John Denver's "Country Road" song over the aircraft's speaker system. As we near the 33rd aniversary of this tragedy I will keep in my thoughts and prayers the families of those who died in this crash as well as you too Bruce. You were always an inspriation of strength following that crash and to hear that shortly afterwards you were giving of yourself to speak in schools further serves to demonstrate that strength. I will never forget you all. God Bless...CLARK, Larry frog020899@yahoo.com..." [06APR2006]
"...I served with VP-47 from April 1971 to January 1975. The only survivor of the NASA crash, Bruce Mallibert, was a personal friend (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973). I knew and flew with all aboard. I was on watch at our NAS Agana, Guam detachment and on the phone with the D.O. at NAS Moffett Field, California when the crash occured. A sad day...HOLMES, Ken kholmes@direcway.com [04DEC2003]
"...I am the high school golfer mentioned in Lee Boyd's eyewitness account of the P-3 and Convair 990 crash over Sunnyvale Muni Golf Course in 1973 (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends April 12, 1973). I stumbled upon the article accidently during a Google search of my name, as I am a retired professional racing driver. If there are readers interested in asking questions of my recollections, I would be glad to respond...Ray Kong rkr96@aol.com [20NOV2003]
"...My father, LT Stephen A. Schwarting, was one of the VP-47 servicemen killed on April 12, 1973. I came across your memorial page this afternoon, and think it is a wonderful tribute. I happened to find it because I had been watching a P-3 Orion perform a series of touch-and-goes at our local airport. Thank you...Thomas Schwarting axledr@yahoo.com [17APR2003]
"...My name is Lee Boyd and I was an Aerial Photographer at NAS Moffett Field, California from 1951-54. After I got out of the Navy in 1954, I got my degree and I went into teaching.
I was on the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course with my golf team on April 12, 1973 and I witnessed the crash. I was walking down the 2nd fairway with the other golf coach and I saw The P-3 and NASA jet in a stepped-up echelon over the runway. I said to my self what are those two planes doing in that position.
The P-3 was on top and the NASA jet was on the bottom and they started to hit each other. The P-3 started to pull up and the NASA jet did too. I assume that they both realized that they were coming in on the runway. As the P-3 was trying to abort the NASA jet came up and punched a huge hole in the fuselage. I'll never forget the gapping hole the jet made in the top of the P-3's fuselage. They both fell to the ground at the 12th tee of the golf course. Our last foursome of student golfers were over on # 3 and we were concerned for their safety. The other coach and I ran down the #2 fairway and ran under the tunnel to #3 fairway to check on the players. Both planes caught on fire at impact and other golfers were trying to break the front window of the planes to give help. Ray Kong, a golfer from the Sunnyvale High School golf team, threw a parachute over the loan survivor.
The Crash trucks had a very difficult time getting on the course because the course was fenced and the Crash Crew had did not have quick access to the gates. I saw the one Crash truck drive over the parachute with the loan survivor underneath the white chute and I said to myself and other people that "I guess the driver didn't know that Bruce was under the chute." I tried to get the golf teams to safety and I saw the ambulance load Bruce on a stretcher. He appeared to be a pretty big guy. I believe that Bruce was kicked out of the tail section of the P-3 Orion and landed between the #3 rd#12 fairways. The other golf coach and I got the players off the course and safely home.
Bruce Mallibert, the loan survivor, came to Sunnyvale High School in 1978 were I taught and talked to students about being on drugs and I told him that I witnessed his accident.
If you have any questions, please contact me..." Contributed by Lee Boyd Boydfour@aol.com [30NOV2002]
"...Could you please change the date for VP-47 P-3 crash with Convair 990. It should be 12APR73 not 15MAR73..." Contributed by James Wilcox jfwilcox@pacbell.net [18APR2000]
"...My very last flight as PP2P at NAS Moffett Field, California occurred Thursday, April 12, 1973 while we were in the "touch and go" pattern on 36 left. I gently brought the aircraft to a landing and then made the required runway turn off.
All of the sudden my left seater cried out several obscenities. Not thinking that was such a bad landing, I glanced to my right only to see a horrendous red-orange fireball and thick black smoke billowing from the approach end of the dual runways.
Almost instantly tower called out "CRASH CRASH CRASH-All aircraft on the deck at Moffett clear the runways and position and hold! All aircraft in the Moffett pattern depart to a holding position or divert to alternate airfields!".
A NASA 990 Convair had inadvertently been directed to land "36 left for visual" when in fact the controller meant to say "36 right for visual". NASA 990 rogered and then promptly landed on top of a VP-477 P-3-C on final for 36 left at about 400 feet AGL. Both aircraft wrapped themselves up and plummeted to the Sunnyvale golf course.
There were five Navy fatalities and 11 fatalities aboard the NASA aircraft.
Only one survivor. I had the distinct honor of meeting this gent while I was the OOD several months later.
He wanted to let the controller (who had been retrained after a long hospital and psychiological stay) that there were no hard feelings. I told the gent that I would let the controllor know but it would be in the best interests of all concerned if he be left alone for now...." Contributed by Philip Mischkot, LT (USNR-RS) pjm3@texoma.net [07AUG99]
"VP-47 Mishap Summary Page"
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